Neil and All
Have now received new details from France (taken largely from a book published by Gérard Bousquet in 2006 and checked with his articles in Le Fana in 1998). A great thanks to Jean-Pierre Dubois for his help!!
c/n 01 Registration F-BAHE assigned on 21.7.1942. Test runs made on 16.9.1942 by pilot Jacques Lecarme for 25 minutes (no lift off). First flight 8.10.1942 by Jacques Lecarme (his logbook is checked for both dates) lasting five minutes at 10 meters height. Allocated Luftwaffe code 20+01 in May 1943 (a photo dated 12.5.1943 shows the aircraft with its French registration painted out and only an F on the fin)
It was flown to Germany on 17.1.1944.
Back in 1998 Bousquet was uncertain when c/n 01 was actually destroyed. Many dates had been quoted in the past and the one most likely to him (or at least that was my interpretation
) was 13.4.1944.
Since then he is now certain that the aircraft was attacked by a single intruder Mosquito from 605 Sq flown by S/Ldr Negus and F/O Gapper on the night of 6-7.4.1944. This aircraft and crew went MIA that same night!!
The SE 200 was raised in 1961 and sold as scrap.
c/n 02 Assigned registration F-BAHF on 21.7.1942 was destroyed by an RAF raid on Marignane on the night of 9-10.3.1944 when it was 80% complete.
Luftwaffe code 20+02 assigned in May 1943 and had been painted on the aircraft.
A second contract (336/42 dated 28.12.1942) was given for two aircraft (not three!) and the registrations F-BAIY and F-BAIZ were assigned to No 03 and No 04. These registrations was re-confirmed in a letter to SNCASE in late July 1945! Still no fifth aircraft on order!
c/n 03 Damaged by RAF bombing during the night of 9-10.3.1944
F-BAIY made its first flight 2.5.1946 and after tests assigned to CEV at Marignane on 10.6.1947 and first flown under their control 18.7.1947.
Last flight was by two pilots from Aeronautique Navale on 16.11.1950 (log book check) and wfu.
c/n 04 competed 95% when all work was terminated on 10.5.1947. A photo taken two days later shows only the engines to be missing.
Parts were used to keep c/n 03 in the air and the remains was sold for scrap in 1950
The reported c/n 05 is highly unlikely to ever have existed. There are no contracts or official order of the aircraft. No registration was ever allocated.
It is much more likely that the so called 10% damage was to c/n 03 which is known to have been slightly damaged in the RAF raid in March 1944.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has any further details regarding the intruder raid which destroyed c/n 01.
Cheers
Stig